The Rebel
by Tarien
Summary: Sequel to 'The Relation', a woman has started an anti-Yeerk resistance, and is determined to destroy the Yeerks, but is she willing to help the Animorphs? *Rachel's viewpoint*
1. The Past

This story is a sequel to my other story "The Relation" which you can find at  
  
http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=848165&chapter=1  
  
I'd advise you to read it first because even though I've done some explaining here, it's a bit choppy and disorganized, so go see! Unless you don't want to, in which the case I shall hunt you down and subject you to the mercy of my One Ring replica.  
  
I'm also dedicating this fic to Jessica (Green Eyed Girl) for emailing me and reminding me that the reason why life feels so down right now is because I miss writing. So this is to you, you sweet, sweet girl!  
  
So on with the story!  
  
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My name is Rachel.  
  
I can't ever tell you my full name. Heck, maybe Rachel isn't my real name. But what is real is the danger I face everyday. A danger called Yeerks. Yeerks are evil slime slugs that can crawl into your ear and fit themselves around your brain. They can control your every movement, your every word, your every glance. They can access your thoughts and act out your part perfectly, like talking back to your parents exactly the way you would. The worse part is that no one knows what you're going through. No one realizes that the person they're looking at has an alien in their head. You're trapped in your own body, an enslaved host to the Yeerk in your head. And you're thinking 'I'm stuck like this forever. If no one knows about me, no one can save me.'  
  
Well, never fear because the Animorphs are here. Yep, Animorphs, the name my annoying brain-of-a-three-year-old friend Marco came up with to describe us. 'Us' being me, Marco, Jake, Cassie, Tobias and Ax. Some time ago, an Andalite prince named Elfangor crash landed on Earth. Elfangor gave the five of us the power to morph into any animal we managed to acquire the DNA of. Ax is Elfangor's brother, stuck here on Earth to fight with us until this war is over.  
  
Yes, we fight a war against the Yeerks. We hate them. I personally want to grind them into little bits. And if you're thinking 'wow! A war! Cool!' let me tell you that there's nothing cool about this war. It cuts into my everyday life. I used to be able to hang out at the mall, practice my gymnastics and get reasonably good grades. Suddenly, I find myself doing the strangest things.  
  
For example, sitting on the grass watching TV with an Andalite and a hawk.  
  
The Andalite is Ax, the alien I told you about. The hawk is Tobias, who was stuck in morph after he exceeded the two-hour time limit. And the show we were watching was 'Win, Lose or Draw.'  
  
That is obviously a dome! Ax was yelling at the TV.  
  
No, it's Mary had a Little Lamb. Tobias replied.  
  
A lamb is a four legged mammal, is it not? Ax asked. That thing she is drawing does not have any legs!  
  
"And it's Mary had a Little Lamb! Two points to the red team!" That insanely cheerful host announced. The screen erupted with cheers. Tobias smirked at Ax. At least, he did as much of a smirk as a hawk could.  
  
I do not understand. Tobias seems to be a genius at this game show, and I, a fool. Ax grumbled. The sore loser.  
  
I turned to Tobias, who was laughing in thought-speak. "I think it's time you told Ax the secret." I said reproachfully.  
  
What secret? Ax asked.  
  
Yes, Rachel. What secret? Tobias asked innocently.  
  
"That you cheat." I replied just as innocently. Ax glared at Tobias in mock anger.  
  
How despicable! He sniffed. Tobias nearly started rolling about the floor. He was laughing that hard. But how do you do it? Ax asked.  
  
See those words in yellow? At the bottom left of the screen? Tobias asked. Another game had started. This time the answer was 'Roswell'. That's the answer.  
  
If Ax had been a normal human boy, he would have begun to pummel Tobias. And I would probably have joined in for the fun of it. But since Ax is anything but normal, he just switched the channel and refused to speak to either of us. Thankfully, Jake, Cassie and Marco chose to join us at this point. And Eric was with them.  
  
Eric looks like an ordinary kid. He goes to school with us and tries to fit in. But in fact, Eric is a holographic image. Underneath that life-like exterior lay the metal body of a seriously advanced robot. Eric can do almost anything. He can switch his holographic image so that instead of a boy, he looks like a whole gang of boys. He can even look like an oversized stuff toy if he wanted to. The technology he was created from was the work of an extinct species of aliens named the Penalites. And since the Penailites were a bunch of peace-loving dog-like creatures, they made it so that their robots, the Chee, could not create violence of any kind. And the result is a group of extremely powerful robots who can't fight.  
  
Eric and most of the other Chee have infiltrated the Yeerks. They pretend to be controllers by broadcasting an image of a Yeerk sliding out of their human's ear canal into the Yeerk Pool. The Chee are our greatest allies, the robots we rely on for information and help when the need arises. So whenever I see Eric, I know things can't be good.  
  
"What evil wind brings you to our humble abode, Eric?" I asked.  
  
"I'm hurt, Rachel. Really." Eric placed a hand over his holographic heart. "You wound me with your words."  
  
"You have to admit, every time you come here, we don't end the day with cookies and cream." Marco reminded him. "Now spill your beans before I get Ax here to slice them out of you." Marco was just shooting his mouth off and we knew it. Ax wouldn't hurt the Chee.  
  
"You've turned the Yeerks into paraniod beings. Visser Three is accusing everyone of being a traitor. He's having Yeerks executed by the dozens." Eric said. I couldn't help but look at Tobias. Everyone else did.  
  
In our last mission, we'd found a female Andalite disguised as a human named Erin. Erin turned out to be Elfangor's ex-girlfriend. Helping Erin to remain secret was her human morph's real sister, Charlotte. Charlotte had been captured by the Yeerks, and to save her, Erin had died.  
  
And Tobias was the one who had killed her.  
  
I knew Tobias had gotten somewhat close to Erin, though he never told me much about her. Tobias had spent some time in Erin's head as a Yeerk to help her get past Visser Three. I guess he found out some things from Erin that he didn't want to. I don't know because Tobias never told me. In the end, we did manage to save Charlotte. She had begged to morph into a dove and stay in that morph forever. We'd granted her wish and used the blue box Elfangor used to give us our morphing powers. Tobias and Ax had stayed with her till the last.  
  
"Unless I'm very much mistaken, this is good news." Jake said. "If the Yeerks are turning against each other, then we'll just sit back and let it happen."  
  
"You didn't let me finish. Remember Charlotte?" Eric asked. We all nodded. I sensed that Tobias had stiffened. "The Yeerks are looking for her mother." I stared at Eric, confused  
  
"Hang on, mother... Charlotte's real mother?" Marco frowned. Charlotte and Erin had been adopted by a man named Mr. Bloyd. Mr. Bloyd had been a controller, assigned the task of getting Charlotte to the Yeerk Pool. He'd almost succeeded. "So?"  
  
I never told you guys. Mr. Bloyd told me that Charlotte's real mother is the first human controller known to have regained complete control of her body and to have forced the Yeerk out of her head. Tobias said. Now I was amazed. It was nearly impossible to fight the Yeerk in your head. You could rage and fight and scream but you would still be helpless. At most, you would only be able to control your body for a few precious seconds before the Yeerk wrenched it from you. And to force a Yeerk out of your head... That was unheard of!  
  
"That's... That's great!" Cassie's eyes shone with excitement. "This means that there is hope for controllers! It's really possible to overthrow the Yeerks!"  
  
This woman must have extraordinary strength of will. Ax marveled.  
  
"What do the Yeerks want with her?" Jake asked Eric.  
  
"They suspect that she is forming a Yeerk resistance alliance and holding controllers captive until they are freed when the Yeerk in their head dies." Eric explained. Yeerks need to sunbathe in Kadrona Rays every three days. They go to a Yeerk Pool to do so. It's like drug addicts in need of a fix, only if the Yeerks don't get their rays, they die. "The Yeerks cannot have freed controllers posing a threat to them."  
  
Eric paused to let this sink in. Free controllers meant that more people were aware of the Yeerks and free to tell others so. Which meant that we would have more allies in our fight against the Yeerks.  
  
"How do we find her?" Jake asked. 


	2. The Acorn

Hello~ Me again! This chapter was actually longer. But it turned out that it was too long, so I've split the chapter and I'll post the next one soon. Meanwhile, *looks pleading* Could you guys please review? I need motivation to keep writing, because there's a strong temptation to stop and go study. So, pretty please?  
  
Okay, I'll stop begging. I'm making myself sick. *sigh*  
  
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Does anyone else feel like raiding Charlie's Chocolate Factory? Marco asked. I turned my beady eyes at him and twittered excitedly, thinking but walnuts and acorns. I was a squirrel. We all were squirrels. We were sitting on a tree, supposedly spying on the house across the street.  
  
Eric had said that this was where Katrina Price, Charlotte's mother was last seen. The house looked innocent enough. Sturdy walls, white picket fence, neatly trimmed lawn. But two houses down, a big black van sat waiting with its engine turned on. More likely that not it was full of Hork- Bajir ready to spring out at a moment's notice.  
  
However, my attention was riveted elsewhere.  
  
Acorn! Cassie squealed. I jumped around, nose twitching. I spotted the acorn. My acorn! Cassie shot off across the tree branch and skittered onto the road. She paused, jerked her head around, watching for danger. Then she speeded towards the acorn like a tiny jet plane.  
  
Not if I can help it! Jake speeded after her. I looked around, twitched a little, then galloped after them, Marco and Ax on my tail.  
  
Acorn! Marco shouted, bouncing up and down.  
  
Acorn! I agreed, snatching it from Cassie's tiny paws. Ax snatched it from me. Cassie snatched it back from Ax. And we had a tiny squabbling session over the acorn.  
  
I found it! Cassie whined, trying to scamper off with it. Finder's keepers!  
  
Cassie look over there! Jake yelled. Cassie turned. Jake snatched up the acorn. Tricked you! Cassie ran up to Jake and beat him on the head with her paw. They squabbled with each other for the acorn. Then suddenly, we heard a deafening blare.  
  
CAR!!! I yelled. We split. Jake and I sprinted towards the house. Marco, Ax and Cassie scrabbled up the tree. A white car zipped by, crushing our acorn into little pieces.  
  
The acorn... Marco wailed forlornly.  
  
I believe we let this morph overpower us for a moment. Ax commented. I began to clean my face, rubbing my paws up and down, a sign of indignation.  
  
Ax is right. Let's all get ourselves under control. Jake said. He turned and skittered up the white picket fence. Since Rachel and I are on this side, we'll go into the house to check things out. Ax, Marco, Rachel, keep a outlook. Tobias?  
  
Right here! Tobias was a hawk. He soared and landed on a branch above the others. My squirrel twittered nervously.  
  
Keep an eye on these children. Jake joked.  
  
Children! I'll show you children! Marco started to run after Jake. Ax and Cassie jumped on him to keep him from doing so. I followed Jake, jumping up and down excitedly. It was fun being in squirrel morph, since squirrels rarely worried about anything. 


	3. The Explosion

The windows are all closed. Jake reported from a window sill. I scurried around on the ground, but there weren't ay basement windows for us to slip through.  
  
Rachel there's a dog flap in the front door. Tobias said. Jake and I raced to the flap and pushed our way in.  
  
The first thing that hit me was the smell. What on earth is that? I asked, nose twitching.  
  
Doesn't smell good. Let's go investigate. Jake bounded further into the house. I paused a moment, fighting the squirrel part of me that wanted to get out immediately. Then I followed Jake, bending low, subconsciously trying to avoid danger.  
  
The house was eerily silent. The only sounds were of our claws pattering against the marble-tiled floor. The windows were tinted dark blue, and the light that shone through cast a gloomy shadow all over the house. The rooms were bare, left unfurnished except for the odd table or chair. I crept into the kitchen. The smell got stronger. Empty packets of Chinese take-out littered the floor. A mouse lay dead, lifeless eyes glittering. I felt majorly creeped out. The smell was definitely from this room. It was oppressive, overwhelming. I felt as though it was trying to suffocate me! My eyes fell on the stove. I glanced at the knobs.  
  
Gas! Jake! It's gas! I shouted, sprinting out of the kitchen.  
  
What? I slammed into a confused Jake, sending us skidding across the floor.  
  
The smell! I panted. It's gas! Someone left the gas on! Something clicked in my mind. I had bent low to avoid danger, but what danger? I stared across the living room, searching.  
  
I saw a long thin thread.  
  
Jake, do you see what I see?  
  
I see. Dead people.  
  
Jake!  
  
Okay, okay. I see. a string? We ventured closer. It's a wire! He whispered. The wire was strung tautly between two walls. It was almost transparent. If you weren't looking for it, chances were that you would miss it. Anyone coming into the house from the front door would trip over it.  
  
It's attached to something! Jake exclaimed. We followed the wire. It was coiled tightly around a metal rod. I stared at the strange contraption, trying to figure out what it was. I think it's an alarm. Jake said.  
  
I shook my head. Alarms can be connected to the door itself. I pointed to the rough black surfaces the metal rod would strike against if someone tripped over the wire. What does that remind you of?  
  
A match box and a match. It's a lighter! Jake and I exchanged looks. I knew the same thought was in his mind.  
  
This was a trap!  
  
Jake! Rachel! Two men in black suits coming your way and they don't look like your friendly neighborhood group! I didn't need Tobias to warn me. I could feel the vibrations on the floor.  
  
What do we do, Jake? I asked.  
  
Depends on who this trap was set for. Jake replied tersely.  
  
They've reach the door! Tobias announced. You two should hit the road sometime now. I glanced at Jake. His squirrel eyes were dancing with thought. The door knob jiggled. The smell of gas was overpowering.  
  
Let's go! Jake yelled. As the door opened slowly, Jake and I shot through the dog flap.  
  
What took you guys so long? Marco whined. He was waiting at the gate with Ax and Cassie.  
  
Go, go, go, go, GO!!! Jake hollered. Getting the hint, Cassie grabbed Ax and ran. I smacked into Marco and dragged him along with me.  
  
Behind us, the door of the house clicked shut.  
  
I paused when we were across the road and spun around; wanting to see what was going to happen. I was aware of everyone waiting behind me with bated breath.  
  
BOOM!!!  
  
The forced of the explosion knocked us off our feet. I scanned the sky, looking for Tobias among the panicked flock of birds. I saw his red-tail flicker in and out of the crowd, and then watched as he swooped down to us. Tobias was safe. I sighed with relief.  
  
The black van I had noticed earlier peeled away and sped down the road, disappearing from sight. I watched the hunger flames lick at the demolished house. The crackling heat was unbearable, even from here.  
  
We should call the fire department. Cassie said suddenly.  
  
And demorph. Ax added. We have been in morph for one of your hours and forty of your minutes.  
  
Tobias? Jake called.  
  
I'm on it. He soared up into the air, our watchful eye.  
  
Demorph, remorph into birds. We meet at Cassie's barn. Jake ordered. The neighbours will call the fire department. He added for Cassie's benefit.  
  
I took one last look at the burning house and saw the neighbours running out into the street. Then I began to demorph. 


	4. The Clue

I'm sorry about taking so long to update this! I was lazy, and I figured that I could use Fanfiction.net being down as an excuse for being lazy. *BWA HAHAHAHA* Thank you all for your kind reviews, and I've realized that I forgot to put a disclaimer up, so here it is:  
  
K.A. Applegate, this is your work and this all belongs to you. Except for Charlotte and Katrina Price. They're mine. MINE I tell you!!! *clutches them* My preciousssssessssssss..  
  
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In this crazy, lopsided world of aliens, there are three things I can be sure of. One, that Tobias will always be there for me. Two, that if I'm going down, I'm taking out the enemy with me. And three.  
  
That Marco is an idiot.  
  
"Did you see it? Boom! Like cool! My online war pals would've given their DSL connection to see it!" Marco was jumping up and down excitedly. I walked over to him and started to stare meaningfully at his head. "What?" He asked me after I did that for about two minutes.  
  
"I'm trying to see if the squirrel left his brain in there, but it's hard to tell, what with all this empty space." I replied. Marco scowled. I smirked.  
  
We were all in Cassie's barn. Ax was in his human morph, of course. Tobias sat up in the rafters, watching out for Cassie's parents. Jake was being unusually quiet. Cassie was visibly upset. I think they were considering how close we had come to being burnt into a crisp. But hey, we escape death almost on a daily basis. No time to mope.  
  
"I find-duh human humour, hue-mour to be strangely inappropriate. Pree. Preeeeee. P-row. Roooooow." Ax said suddenly. We stared at him, and not because of the mouth sounds. "We seem to have-vuh lost. Tuh. Tuh. Lost-tuh our only lead-duh."  
  
"What did he say? I seem to have-vuh lost-tuh his train-nuh of thought- tuh." Marco said.  
  
I ignored Marco. "Ax is right. We've lost our only lead. What do we do now?" I looked at Jake. Through all our battles, Jake's become our leader. It's an unconscious thing, I guess. I mean, he's never raised his hand and said 'all hail me', but we follow his orders. And most of the time that turns out to be a good idea.  
  
"Aside from asking Eric for help, I don't really know." Jake said. "But I did find this from the house before it blew up."  
  
"Boom!" Marco exclaimed. We stared at him. "Never mind."  
  
Jake spread out a piece of paper on the work table. We crowded around it. It was crumpled and covered in some strange slimy liquid. The words were smudged and pretty hard to make out.  
  
"Why does the paper look like it swam through a swamp?" Cassie asked.  
  
"I uh. I had to cram it in my mouth while I was running out of the house." Jake looked embarrassed.  
  
"Ewwww!!!" Marco and I cringed.  
  
"Squirrel juice!" Marco exclaimed. "Jake, man what were you thinking?"  
  
"Squirrels have pouches in their cheeks. It's only natural instinct to keep foraged food in their mouths. But squirrels don't salivate that much." Cassie picked up the paper gingerly. "Did you drop it into something?"  
  
"It uh. Was still in my mouth when I morphed." Jake explained. Cassie dropped the piece of paper as if it was burning. She discreetly wiped her fingers on the back of her jeans.  
  
"What does it say? Sssssss." Ax asked.  
  
It looks like a receipt. Tobias put in. From the Holiday Inn. I know the place. A couple of pigeons have a nest under the highest balcony.  
  
"Whoever left this behind stays in room 0313." Jake said, peering at the receipt. "At least, it looks like room 0313." I peered at the paper. The numbers were covered with Jake juice and were extremely blurred, but it definitely looked like 0313.  
  
"Thirteen." Marco said mysteriously. "The unlucky number." He blew at my neck, trying to give me goosebumps. I glared at him. He backed down.  
  
I'll go check it out. Tobias said, spreading his wings.  
  
"Wait, take Rachel with you." Jake said. I smiled. Action! "But this is only to check it out. Don't do anything. At all."  
  
"Sure." I murmured, already focusing on my bald eagle morph.  
  
"I mean it, Rachel. Just go as a scout, and then come back and we'll decide what to do." Jake repeated.  
  
"I ge." I lost the power to speak through my mouth as it hardened into a break.  
  
"Man, you are not pretty, sister." Marco said. I glared at him with my dark, powerful eyes that could see every blackhead on his hideous face. "Just kidding." He quickly added. I ignored him and soared out of the barn, trusting Tobias to follow me. He shot ahead of me and led the way.  
  
We had to fly slightly apart. Bald eagles and hawks don't exactly shoot the breeze together. I could tell Tobias was thinking heavy thoughts from the way he was flying. His movements were robotic and looked automatic. He was letting his hawk take over the flying, and he didn't want to be disturbed.  
  
Well too bad, Tobias. I want to talk.  
  
Tobias? I asked.  
  
Yes? Tobias replied.  
  
Where do you think Charlotte is?  
  
Flying free. I hated it when Tobias gave me vague answers that obviously meant something to him and someone else. But then again, since when was I ever an open book for him to read?  
  
Tobias? I asked again after another silence.  
  
Yes?  
  
Why did you shoot Erin? It was a painfully personal question, I knew that, but I had to ask. After all, Erin was Elfangor's ex-girlfriend, according to Ax, and she could have told Tobias a lot about his father. I know from the sketchy stories Tobias sometimes forces himself to tell me that she had asked him to kill her. But why had Tobias done it? I watched him flap his wings hard against the sudden change in wind direction.  
  
The silence was unbearable.  
  
Just as I was about to apologise for asking, Tobias flared his wings and landed on a window sill. We're here. He announced.  
  
Tobias.  
  
Forget it, Rachel. 


	5. The Marking

Heh. Was lazy again. Also didn't have much time to do any updating, what with going to school at 7 in the morning then coming home at 10 in the night. Studies. Hate them. Anyway, I'm trying to make my chapters longer, but bear with me if they get boring.  
  
Disclaimer: K.A. Applegate owns the Animorphs and everything related to them.  
  
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We morphed back into our human bodies, and then we were two teenagers, shivering on the sidewalk in front of the hotel. People were staring at us while they walked by. You see, we hadn't figured out how to morph actual clothing. The only things we could wear while morphing which didn't end up in a thousand worthless pieces were our tightest, most close-fitting clothes. And since this meant spandex and hideous tights, we were wearing spandex and hideous tights. That's why the people were staring.  
  
That's why the manager had kicked us out of the hotel.  
  
"What now?" I asked Tobias.  
  
"If only we knew which room was which. Then we wouldn't have to use the front door." Tobias mused. I watched as the snobbish manager welcomed the equally snobbish grandmothers into the hotel.  
  
"This Katrina Price must be somebody. I mean, to actually stay in this hotel." I watched as a limo pulled up and the doorman went to open the door. "How does someone on the run from the Yeerks pay for all of this?"  
  
"Maybe she doesn't intend to pay." Tobias shrugged. I stared at him. "There must be another door. These hotels. they've got other staff, right?"  
  
"Bell hops, chambermaids, cooks, receptionists, waiters and waitresses, cleaners, laundry maids." I ticked off.  
  
"My point, Rachel, is that the staff must go in through another door." Tobias cut in. He was right. I remembered my mother fuming over the fact that chambermaids were not allowed to be even seen near the front door. Servants were treated like lower class citizens in most hotels.  
  
"There must be a back door." I breathed.  
  
"Yes, Sherlock. Let's go find it." Tobias smiled at me. I smiled back.  
  
The back door was, well, at the back of the hotel, right next to the garbage heap. I held my breath as we crept to the door. Tobias looked around and checked to see that nobody was watching. Then I tried the doorknob. It was unlocked. We quickly escaped inside.  
  
Inside, it was dinghy and dark. The sounds of voices calling out to other people echoed in the narrow corridor we were in. Tobias inched his way forward and I slowly followed behind him, praying no one would come in from outside while we were here. We came to a door in the right side of the yellow-tiled wall. I exchanged looks with Tobias, then pressed my ear to the door, listening for any clue of anyone on the other side of it.  
  
All was quiet.  
  
"I say we go in." I said.  
  
"Too risky." Tobias stopped me. Then came the sound of footsteps, echoing off the walls. I looked at Tobias. He shook his head. The footsteps got louder. I gripped the doorknob. Tobias hesitated. Then he nodded and I flung the door open before pulling him inside with me. I shut the door as quietly as possible, then locked it.  
  
The footsteps came down the corridor.  
  
And stopped in front of the door.  
  
My heart started pounding like drums for a ritual. I held my breath and watched the shadows move under the door. The doorknob jiggled. Somebody cursed. I closed my eyes, hoping against hope that that somebody didn't have a key. I opened my eyes against. The shadow under the door had disappeared, leaving the unbroken dim light creeping into the room.  
  
Tobias flicked the light on. I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from shrieking in shock. I turned around to inspect the room. It looked like the girl's locker room at school. Clothes hung off some hooks on the wall. There were lockers, some open, some padlocked.  
  
"Looks like we've got our ticket to the inside." I told Tobias. "Grab that bell hop uniform." I told him, pointing to an open locker. I pulled a dress off one of the hooks. "I shall be a chambermaid."  
  
Minutes later, we emerged from the room, looking somewhat ridiculous. Tobias was trying really hard not to laugh at me. I could tell from the way he refused to look me in the eye. Was it my fault that chambermaids wore aprons and silly bonnet hats? Besides, Tobias looked funny in his red bell hop suit and the cutesy red hat, but was I laughing? Some people.  
  
We made it to the kitchen before we were stopped.  
  
"You!" We froze. "Bell hop!" Tobias and I slowly turned around. A man wearing a black suit was glaring at us. His nametag proclaimed him to be Gerald Lector, assistant manager.  
  
"Yes sir?" Tobias replied, with only a hint of nervousness in his voice. Gerald Lector towered over us like a skyscraper over an ant.  
  
"We have a baggage pile up in the lobby! Get to it!" He bellowed. Tobias threw me a look, then ran out of the door Gerald Lector was pointing at. Gerald Lector rounded in on me. I gulped. "And you get to work on cleaning the rooms. We'll need all the help we can get to clean the banquet hall once the wedding is out of it." I nodded quickly. "GO!!!" He screeched. I dashed out of the same door and crashed into Tobias.  
  
"Now what?" I whispered to Tobias.  
  
"Just a minute!" I winced inwardly as I heard the door swing open and the assistant manager come out. "You forgot to collect the skeleton key from me, young lady." I turned around. Gerald Lector was swinging a set of keys. I went up and took it, trying not to look too bewildered or relieved. "And you, boy, what are you still doing here?" Tobias looked guilt-stricken. "I better supervise you while you do your work. Come on!" He dragged Tobias off into the lobby.  
  
I had to do this alone.  
  
Taking a deep breath, I marched to the lift and got in. I slipped the skeleton keys into my pocket and patted them. I pressed the button for the third floor and got out. The doors were numbered by gold plated numbers. I counted the doors slowly until I reached the door numbered '0313'. I pressed my ear to the door again. No one was in. I quickly tried all the keys until I found the right one, then I unlocked the door and slipped into the room.  
  
It was in a mess. The bed sheets were thrown about the floor. The clothes in the closet were crumpled and piled in a heap. Packets of empty Chinese take outs littered the floor, just like in the house that we had visited. I contemplated searching the room for clues, or even waiting here for Katrina Price to come back.  
  
"Don't do anything at all." Jake's niggling voice echoed in my ear. I scowled at no one in particular and stopped myself just as I was reaching for the pile of clothes in the wardrobe. I hesitated for a moment. Who knew when we could come back here? What if Katrina Price decided to change rooms while we discussed what to do?  
  
"I mean it, Rachel." Jake again. Shaking my head, I went over to the balcony door. It was shut, and the handle was rusty, so I guessed that no one had visited this balcony for a while. It took me my entire strength to wrench the door open. I figured that it'd be safe to leave a sign in the balcony, just a small one that no one would find unusual. I went back into the room and looked around for anything I could use that no one would miss. My eyes fell on a small white towel with the hotel's logo emblazoned on it.  
  
"This could be useful." I muttered and picked it up off the floor. I went back to the balcony and tied it to one of the railing's lower rungs. Then I turned and shoved the door back in its place and left it unlocked.  
  
I walked out of the lift minutes later. Tobias was in the lobby, hauling some bags for a little old lady. I grinned. "Hey, Tobias." I went up to him after checking that Mr. Assistant Manager was no where in sight.  
  
"Hey Rachel. A little help here would be nice." He grunted. I laughed. "Come on, I've marked the room. We can go."  
  
"You can't leave, young man. You must put the bags in my room!" I watched the old lady persuade Tobias to stay with a thwack of her walking stick. Her huge gold watch glittered in the light. I squinted at it.  
  
"Tobias, we've got about two more minutes before you can say goodbye to the thermals." I hissed. Tobias dropped the bags and sprinted out of the front doors. I tore off my apron and my bonnet and ran after him. The manager at the front door tried to stop me.  
  
"Just what do you think you're doing?" He asked.  
  
"I'm leaving." I replied, glaring at him.  
  
"Then you leave by the back door." He ordered, gripping my arm. I twisted my arm and pulled it out of his grasp, then punched him in the gut. He doubled over in pain.  
  
"That's for all the people you've ill-treated!" I yelled at him while I quickly ran away. The two security guards were on my tail. I couldn't see any hiding places to morph in. My breath came out in ragged pants. What I wouldn't give for my elephant morph right not.  
  
TSEEEER!!!  
  
Tobias dived down from the sky, right at one guard. The guard shrieked in terror and fell face down on the ground, covering his head. Tobias screeched and attacked the other guard, flapping his huge wings in his face. The other guard tripped and fell backwards, yelling that the birds were attacking him. I snorted in laughter and hid behind a parked limo to morph.  
  
Thanks, Tobias. I said as we soared back up into the sky.  
  
No problem. Tobias replied. We flew in silence for a while. Hey, let's not go back yet.  
  
What? I asked.  
  
Let's ride the thermals.  
  
Sure! 


	6. The Lead

We decided that the best thing to do was to confront Katrina Price as soon as possible. 'As soon as possible' meant Saturday, when we had no school to interfere. Ax, however, got grumpy, and pointed out that he was missing his favourite Saturday morning cartoons. It was hard not to smile while explaining to Ax that if we rescheduled our battles around his TV programmes, there would soon be no TV programs at all. Fortunately, Ax had already discovered the joy of the VCR.  
  
Then Jake got grounded.  
  
Yes, that's right, our responsible leader got grounded. Turns out that one of the assignments he'd missed was crucial to passing a class. His parents had given him a chance to come up with a reasonable explanation. Jake couldn't very well tell them he was off saving the world from parasitic slugs, and thus, he got grounded.  
  
Cassie too, was missing from our team. Her father had asked her to help him in a critical operation to save a raccoon's life. Cassie, being Cassie, couldn't say no to a small, helpless furball. Therefore, it was just the four of us.  
  
With me in charge!  
  
I bet Jake and Cassie are together right now. Marco said.  
  
Jake's grounded, Marco. They can't be together. I reminded him.  
  
Yeah, well, I bet they made it up! Marco insisted. Leaving us to save the world while they smooch around in some dark dirty alley.  
  
Number one: Jake doesn't lie. Number two: Neither does Cassie. Number three: Why on earth would they go smooch in a dark dirty alley when they can go to a park?  
  
I am lost in this conversation. Ax piped up.  
  
So am I, Ax. So am I Tobias chucked.  
  
We were four pigeons fluttering through the sky. Tobias had said that the hotel was a pigeon hot spot and thus we wouldn't stick out like sore thumbs. It was as fun being a pigeon as it was being an eagle. There was also the uncontrollable urge to poop.  
  
Bullseye! Marco shouted as a bald man shook his fist at us angrily.  
  
Gross, Marco. I chided.  
  
But cool. He gloated.  
  
Boy, was I glad when we finally arrived at the hotel.  
  
Marco, stay out here and make sure you don't poop on anyone. Try to be inconspicuous. Tobias, Ax and I will go in. I said.  
  
Why do I have to stay outside? Marco whined.  
  
Because, Marco, Jake left me in charge. I would have smirked. And you annoy me. I spotted the white towel billowing in the wind. Tobias, Ax, see that white towel? Head for the balcony it's attached to. We perch on the railed, looking in. The curtains were blocking our view, but the door was slightly ajar, and we heard strange noises.  
  
What was that? Tobias asked as a particularly loud moan caught our attention.  
  
Do you think it's Katrina Price? Maybe she's in trouble. I suggested.  
  
I will go to "check this out" first. Ax volunteered. He powered his little wings and flapped into the room. Moments later, there was the sound of a scream, and then some potent cursing. Then Ax zipped out of the gap in the door right before it was wrenched open and a huge, thick set man stood in the doorway, chest heaving. Tobias and I sqwarked and took flight after Ax.  
  
STUPID BIRDS!!! He bellowed.  
  
I'll take a bet and guess that's not Katrina Price. Marco said.  
  
Are you sure that's the right room? Tobias asked.  
  
Positive. 0313. In my mind's eye, I remembered exactly how it had looked like on the receipt Jake had showed us. The numbers were smudged, and I could just make out the number '3' after the first '0'. In fact, if you has asked me.  
  
8! The number was 8! I cried out, amazed at my own stupidity.  
  
You're losing us, Miss Rachel. Marco said.  
  
The room number! It wasn't 0313! It was 0813! I exclaimed. come on!  
  
We soared up. I counted the floors as they shot past us. Fourth. Fifth. Sixth. Seventh.  
  
Eigth.  
  
Now what? Marco asked. Our luck had held. The door to the balcony was wide open.  
  
Same plan. Marco, outside. Tobias, Ax? Let's go in. 


End file.
